Batch your breakfast and buy back time in the morning

We all know the "breakfast is most important meal of the day" shtick. The problem is we are often faced with a lack of time and inspiration when it comes to that first mouthful of the day. At 9Kitchen we happily put our hands up for breakfast variety, and so we had a chat to Caroline Griffiths, author of Breakfast Bowls, to find out why we should take a morning walk on the wild side.

"We are often stuck with old habits when it comes to breakfast, because it's what we know and what we grew up with," says Griffiths. "I know I was raised being bombarded with advertising telling us that we are time poor and there is a quick and easy solution. But there are actually plenty of options out there, we just need to open our minds. It can also seem like a lot of effort to pull together a ‘fancy’ breakfast. The reality is it’s not that difficult to change things up with a little bit of thought and tiny bit of preparation."

For Griffiths, it idea of starting the day as you mean to go on was a powerful motivator and one that liberated her to think outside the cereal box for breakfast.

"If you start the day with something delicious, nutritious and satisfying, then surely only good can follow," she says.

Batch it

Of course planning ahead so that you can make breakfast the night before is always a good tip. But Griffiths takes it a step further, suggesting that it's not just cocktail bars and coffee geeks who should be batching (or making large batches of a recipe that can be used when convenient). Her biggest tip is to keep batch items on hand in the fridge or freezer so that you can pick and choose as you go, without having to put in the hard yards every time.

"I like to give myself a chance to think about the week ahead on a Sunday afternoon or evening, sometimes spending the time making granola that will last a couple of weeks, throwing together bircher muesli or lightly stewing abundant seasonal fruit and popping some in the fridge and the rest in containers in the freezer." They're some mighty simple steps to avoid a breakfast rut.

Texture wins

"I like to try to include at least two serves of vegetables or fruit in each breakfast bowl," advises Griffiths. "Whether savoury or sweet, the combination of textures is as important to the enjoyment of a breakfast bowl as the flavours. If there is variety in texture between the base and toppings, I don’t think you can go wrong." She recommends making sure you have at least one thing from each of the following categories:

smooth and silky or creamy

something with ‘bite’ and a bit of substance

crunchy

"More often than not, I like to add a handful of nuts and seeds to both sweet and savoury, a spoonful of homemade granola if leaning to the fruity or sweeter side, or some chunky homemade sourdough breadcrumbs for savoury.

A bit of whimsy to finish the whole thing off never goes astray either according to the cook, "fresh edible flowers, a sprinkling of petals or herb leaves always makes me smile."

No limits

Given the kaleidoscope of flavours and textures available to us, where should we draw the line?

"There should be no limits," says Griffiths. "As long as it's largely nutritious. All over the world, people enjoy a myriad of foods for breakfast. Many enjoy a savoury start to the day with pho, congee, miso, bread and meats. Foods that give the perception of dessert are also a great way to go. They're perceived as dessert because they contain ingredients that we associate with that sweet dish we traditionally eat after a meal—like chocolate, carob, cacao nibs, or raw cacao—or something baked like a crumble."

So really, there should never be an excuse to settle for a bland bowl of cereal ever again.

Caroline Griffiths

Recipes and images from Breakfast Bowls by Caroline Griffiths. Published by Smith Street Books. Out February 2017, $AU 29.99.